§ MR. H. H. MARKS (Tower Hamlets, St. George's)I beg to ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his attention has been called to the congestion of traffic, caused in the streets of London by the large number of omnibuses plying in the daytime, and to the inconvenience caused by the lack of omnibuses at night-time, and more particularly after midnight; whether there is any limit to the number of omnibuses that may be licensed to ply in the daytime; and whether any conditions are made as to the hours during which such omnibuses shall ply; and, if not, whether he will consider the advisability of making regulations with a view to providing for a reasonable number of omnibuses to ply regularly for the convenience of theatre-goers and others after midnight?
THE SECRETARY OF STATE FOR THE HOME DEPARTMENT (Sir M. WHITE-RIDLEY, Lancashire, Blackpool)My attention has been called to the 1243 congestion of the traffic caused in certain streets by the large number of omnibuses plying in those streets, and the matter is now under my consideration. There is no power to limit the number which ply. As regards the other part of the hon. Member's Question, my information is that very few omnibuses are withdrawn from the streets until quite late; but, however, that may be, I should not feel justified in imposing conditions as to the hours during which omnibuses are to ply.